Homecoming
by sol-li
Summary: When Kagome travels back home for a week full of finals, she brings the reluctant Inuyasha along with her. But the week turns out to be a lot more complicated than she expected.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE  
  
*  
  
"What do you mean, you have to go?"  
  
Inuyasha's voice was loud enough to frighten away several nearby birds. Kagome gritted her teeth at the half-demon's rebellious expression. He'd been like this for almost as long as she'd known him, which was quite awhile. He wasn't a reasonable person by nature, but he got even crazier when she talked about going back home.  
  
Nearby, Miroku and Shippo watched with mild interest as Inuyasha became more and more irritated. Sango was off in the distance, seated on a rock, polishing her enormous boomerang. "I don't know why you ever come back here," he snapped. "You're always jumping down the well to that strange era of yours."  
  
"Look Inuyasha, I have a whole week of finals to prepare for," Kagome shouted. "A week's worth! I have to take one practically every day. It's not something I WANT to do, but it is something I HAVE to do!"  
  
"And what about US?" Inyuasha shouted back. "Are we just supposed to bob around while you take your finals?"  
  
"I don't know what you're supposed to do! Unlike you, I have to balance two lives around in two different eras! You could occasionally TRY to be sympathetic to that!"  
  
"I've been VERY patient!"  
  
"Oh please! I've met preschoolers who waited longer for what they wanted."  
  
"I need you to find the jewel shards!"  
  
"And I need to take my tests!"  
  
"Idiot!"  
  
"IDIOT!"  
  
"You're acting like a pair of children," Miroku said in a maddeningly calm voice, keeping his face composed. "Inuyasha, if Kagome finds it necessary to undertake her... finals, then that is a prior obligation."  
  
Kagome wasn't sure whether to be grateful for Miroku's support or not. On one hand, he was on her side. On the other, she could see Inuyasha flushing red at the intrusion of the monk, whom he looked on with less than a friendly eye.  
  
"You stay out of this!" Inuyasha snarled. "This is between Kagome and me!"  
  
"Is that 'Kagome and me' or 'Kagome and I'?" Shippo piped up.  
  
Kagome winced. Inuyasha's eyes flared, but he somehow kept his mouth under control. She took the opportunity to say quickly, "Look, Inuyasha, I know that a week is more than I've ever asked before. But this really is important to me."  
  
He turned his back. "Hmph."  
  
"Can't you just ONCE try to see things the way I do?" Kagome shouted.   
  
"So what are the rest of us supposed to do, huh?" Inuyasha said in a tight, snappish tone. "Are we just supposed to camp in the woods until you deign to come back?"  
  
"I don't know what you're supposed to do!" Kagome said.  
  
"I'm sure," Miroku broke in quietly, "that Kaede wouldn't mind if we remained at the village for the time being."  
  
"Actually, she would," Shippo said, perching on Miruko's shoulder.   
  
"Don't remind me," Inuyasha grumbled.  
  
Miroku frowned, rubbing his chin with his covered hand. "I'm not sure I understand," he said. "Would you mind explaining further?"  
  
"Kaede won't mind if the three of you stay," Kagome said. "But... well, she doesn't really like it when Inuyasha stays there for more than a few days. He tends to get kind of crabby and twitchy -- don't look at me like that, you know it's true -- and so she doesn't want him actually staying IN her house for more than a couple days. He usually spends his time up trees anyway."  
  
Inuyasha leaped up onto a boulder and stared off into the woods. "Suits me. I don't like staying at that hag's hut anyway."  
  
Kagome sighed. She couldn't know for sure, due to his obsessive guarding of his privacy, but she suspected that he was more upset by being left alone than he was about her actually leaving. She watched him as he made a point of ignoring her, his ears twitching slightly. She knew what he'd say when she actually got up to leave: "Just go, already! It's not like it matters to ME!"  
  
You really are a rotten liar, Inuyasha, she thought with a sigh. She glanced over at her bulging backpack and the math textbook she had left on top of it.   
  
"Are you going or not?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
"Yes," Kagome said, brushing herself off. "I just wanted to ask you something."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Wanna come?"  
  
*  
  
To Be Continued 


	2. Homecoming Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE  
  
*  
  
"I'm not imaginining it," Inuyasha grumbled. He shifted Kagome's bike higher on his shoulder. "It IS getting heavier every time."  
  
"If it's too heavy, I can always take the backpack off," Kagome said.  
  
"I didn't say it was TOO heavy," Inuyasha said, bristling."It's nowhere near 'too heavy.' I can sure lift anything you can carry into the well. It's just heavier than it needs to be."  
  
They were only five minutes away from the village, and already Inuyasha was in one of his "moods." Nothing would satisfy him, nothing would please him. Kagome stifled a sigh. It was probably a reaction to having to make the choice between coming with her, and living in a tree for a week -- neither was appealing, so he chose the lesser evil and became crabby.  
  
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she thought.   
  
"... it's not even a good idea," Inuyasha was grousing. "I mean, your parents don't even know me."  
  
"My mom," Kagome said abruptly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just my mom," she repeated, not slowing down. "My dad's dead."  
  
She waited for an answer, but Inuyasha was quiet. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw he was staring off into the woods, his golden eyes narrowed to slits. He looked uncomfortable now.  
  
"Come on, can't you even try to be cheerful?" she said. "Is it really that bad to be staying with me for a week? We spend almost all our time together anyway, don't we? So this isn't too different, is it?"  
  
"Hmph."  
  
"Buck up, will you? It'll be a whole week where nobody's gonna try to kill us." Kagome shaded her eyes as she looked into the clearing. "I see the well."  
  
Inuyasha kept silent as they approached the well. He watched as Kagome hopped inside, and as she fell she looked up to see his face looking down at her. Then the world blurred into a tangle of light and shooting stars, fading away as Kagome landed lightly on the bottom of the well. "Touchdown," she murmured.  
  
A moment later, Inuyasha appeared out of thin air at her side, with her bike still on his shoulder. "What do you want me to do with this?" he asked.  
  
"It doesn't matter," Kagome said absently, climbing up the ladder.   
  
Inuyasha shrugged and tossed the bike up the well. "No!" Kagome shouted as it crashed into a wall and fell to the floor.  
  
"What?" Inuyasha demanded. "You said it didn't matter."  
  
Kagome sighed. "I did, I know. Come on, I need to talk to my mom."  
  
Inuyasha leaped to the top of the well and perched on the wooden frame. "Does she know I'm coming?"  
  
"Not yet." Kagome jumped over the edge of the well. "But Sota will be glad to see you, even if Grandpa isn't."  
  
Inuyasha made an odd noise that could have been either embarrassment or dismissal.  
  
Kagome peeked out the door. No one was in the courtyard; she seized Inuyasha's hand and pulled him over to the house...  
  
"... has a nasty case of Tourette's Syndrome, quite a nasty case," she heard Grandpa saying loudly from the kitchen. "Anyway, she'll be out of school for a bit longer -- hopefully the attack will subside in time for her finals. I'll tell her you said so, poor thing. Goodbye."  
  
Kagome resisted the urge to shriek. If her grandfather HAD to claim she was sick, couldn't he at least talk about illnesses he knew something about? At least it was better than saying she had herpes. She had almost freaked when she overheard him telling Hojo that.  
  
"What's he talkin' about?" Inuyasha asked. "Are you sick?"  
  
"No, of course not. He's always making excuses for my being in the feudal era," Kagome said in a small voice. "Come on, let's go in."  
  
Her mother was chopping onions in the kitchen. She looked up as Kagome knocked on the door, and her face lit up. "Kagome!"   
  
"Hi, Mom."   
  
Her mother smiled as Inuyasha trailed in after Kagome, sniffing the air. "And I see you brought your friend with the cute ears."  
  
Inuyasha looked slightly peeved.  
  
"Uh, yeah," Kagome said. "Can he stay with us for finals week, Mom? I promise he won't be in the way."  
  
"Of course he can," her mom said warmly. "What was your name again, dear?"  
  
"Inuyasha." He looked even more peeved at being called "dear."  
  
"Well, Inuyasha, I hope you'll enjoy being here," Mrs. Higurashi said.  
  
"Guess so," Inuyasha mumbled, now looking embarrassed.  
  
"She's back!" came a shout from the next room. Sota dashed in and threw his arms around Kagome's waist. "She's back! I got all those notes for the finals from your classmates."  
  
"Thanks, Sota," Kagome said. "Inuyasha's going to be staying with us for a week until I go back to the feudal era."  
  
Sota's eyes went wide. "Cool!" he shouted. Inuyasha was now blushing outright, and trying to avoid Mrs. Higurashi's gaze.  
  
"... I'm sorry but a blood clot in her leg means that she can't have any visitors. Certainly she can't go shopping," came a voice from the hall.  
  
Kagome rushed out, determined to rip the phone out of the wall.  
  
*  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	3. Homecoming Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO  
  
*  
  
"But Mom..."  
  
"I'm sorry, Kagome."  
  
"Mom, please..."  
  
"I'm sorry, but your friend can only stay here if things are arranged that way."  
  
"Mom!" Kagome said, stamping her foot. "I can't have him staying in my room. Even if he does only get a cot near the window."  
  
"Why not? He can't stay in Sota's room; it's much smaller than yours."  
  
"He just CAN'T!"  
  
It wasn't exactly rational. Kagome and Inuyasha had shared dozens of campsites and cramped tavern rooms, and occasionally even the same sleeping mats, when they were really pressed for space. Once he'd fallen asleep in her lap. And Kagome suspected that she was more familiar with his sleeping quirks than anyone else -- when having vivid dreams his legs would twitch wildly. Sometimes when he had nightmares his claws would shred anything he was using as a pillow, which had caused some awkwardness when she had lent him her backpack. He could sleep sitting up, lying down, or perched on her bike. And, of course, he always slept hugging the Tetsusaiga.  
  
But the idea of sharing her bedroom with him... it just seemed dirty.  
  
I can't say that to Mom, she thought desperately. Mrs. Higurashi didn't even seem to see him as being... well, really male. Kagome switched tactics: "Mom, I know this guy better than you do. He's not a particularly easy person to live with. In fact, he's downright difficult."  
  
Mrs. Higurashi looked into the living room. Kagome almost groaned -- sitting by the TV, Inuyasha was playing Go Fish with Sota. It was a particularly cute moment -- at the wrong time.  
  
"Kagome, I think he's really quite sweet."  
  
"Well," Kagome said hesitantly. "Sometimes."  
  
"What's that thing about fish I'm supposed to say?" Inuyasha said loudly in the living room.  
  
And the picture of cuteness is complete, Kagome thought.  
  
She marched into the living room and sat down beside him. "Inuyasha, you're sleeping in my room. I'll go get the fold-out cot."  
  
"I was gonna sleep in a tree."  
  
"Oh no you're not."  
  
"Oh yeah? And why am I not?"  
  
"Because if anyone sees you sitting up in a tree, they're going to assume you're a peeping tom."  
  
Inuyasha flushed. "Fine, I'll sleep in the cot. Happy now?"  
  
"Go fish," Sota piped up.   
  
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Inuyasha added.  
  
*  
  
Much to Kagome's chagrin, Inuyasha was on his best behavior for the rest of the night. Aside from perching on the dining room table, that was. He played with Sota, flipped through half the books in the living room, rubbed Grandpa the wrong way over the phone calls, and declined pleasantly to have dinner with the family. Instead he wandered in and out of the kitchen, nibbling on anything he found.   
  
Something's different about him, she thought, frowning. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it.  
  
When she finally got into her bedroom, Inuyasha was sitting on his cot, staring out the window.  
  
"Whew, what a day, huh?" Kagome said, tossing her schoolbooks onto her desk. "I'm just going to warn you that I'll be studying or taking tests or recovering from tests all week long. So I won't be available most of the time, okay?"  
  
Inuyasha still hadn't moved.  
  
"Inuyasha, did you hear me?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Huh?" Inuyasha said finally.  
  
"Did you hear me?"  
  
"Sorry. Wasn't paying attention..."   
  
Kagome sat on the cot beside him. His clawed hands were holding the Tetsusaiga tightly. "Inuyasha, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine, I just..."   
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
Just then, Kagome saw what he was staring at. It was the enormous old tree near the mini-shrine -- the one that Inuyasha had been pinned to by Kikyo, for fifty years. He wouldn't admit it most of the time, but she knew the memory still hurt.  
  
She closed the curtains. "We should both probably get some rest."  
  
Inuyasha blinked. "Yeah, I guess so." He sprawled out on the cot, with the Tetsusaiga hugged tightly to his chest.  
  
Watching him, she felt slightly guilty. I guess he can be... kind of sweet, she thought.   
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Wha' for?"  
  
"I called you difficult to my mom today."  
  
A faint grunt. "I've been called worse."  
  
Kagome smiled and closed her eyes.  
  
*  
  
To Be Continued 


	4. Homecoming Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE  
  
*  
  
The first thing Kagome saw when she opened her eyes was another pair of eyes. Wide golden ones, just an inch or so above her face, staring intently at her.   
  
She shouted the first word that came to mind. "SIT BOY!"  
  
A look of pure horror crossed Inuyasha's face, just before the necklace dragged him down. Kagome's shriek was cut short when his face and body slammed into hers, as heavily as if a golf cart were on his back. After a second the weight lifted, and Inuyasha quickly rolled off the bed.  
  
Coughing, Kagome sat up and massaged her sore nose. "I didn't think that one through."  
  
"I was just trying to tell you that your mother has food ready!" Inuyasha shouted.  
  
"Inuyasha, are you blushing?"  
  
"NO!" Inuyasha snarled, hiding his face.  
  
Rubbing her sore chest, Kagome said, "Well, there's one benefit of sharing a room with you."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"You're not Miroku."  
  
Inuyasha muttered, "Feh," in agreement. He sulked all through breakfast, and kept rubbing his face absently. Once the food had vanished, so did he. But as Kagome loaded her textbooks and notes into her backpack, she heard the front door open.  
  
"SIT BOY!" she shouted.  
  
There was a thunderous crash and an outraged cry from Inuyasha. She found him sprawled half-in, half-out of the door, still clutching the doorknob. "Would you stop that!" he shouted. "I just wanted to go for a walk."  
  
"You can't go out when I'm not here!" Kagome said, pulling her sagging bookbag onto her back. "The neighbors already think I'm strange and sickly, but if they find out you're here with me, I cross the line into freaky."  
  
"So you want me to stay inside all day? What am I supposed to do?"  
  
"I don't know what you're supposed to do! Help Mom with anything that requires heavy lifting, or something like that. Just don't go outside, even if I tell you to go play in traffic!"  
  
Inuyasha was still seething when Kagome left. She tried to drive his angry glare from her mind, and focus on the test she'd be having in about three hours.  
  
*  
  
Kagome was in high spirits that afternoon. Writing had always been one of her strong points, and grammar was something she had never struggled with. Even though she hadn't had time to study completely, she was sure she had triumphed. Well, pretty sure.  
  
The first thing she saw when she came in was Inuyasha with his face in the coffee maker. He seemed to be breathing deeply.   
  
"Having fun in there?" Kagome asked.  
  
Inuyasha emerged long enough to announce, "Your mother wants to talk with you," and then started sniffing the inside of the coffee maker again.   
  
Him and his nose, Kagome thought, smiling. The smell of cookies lingered in the air. Judging from the empty plate on the counter, and since Sota wasn't home yet, Kagome suspected that she knew what Inuyasha had been doing all day.  
  
"Mom?" Kagome called.   
  
Mrs. Higurashi was sitting in the living room, dabbing at her eyes.  
  
"Mom, what's wrong?" Kagome said, sitting next to her mother. "Has something happened?"  
  
"Well, it's no too terrible. Your great-aunt... you remember her, don't you?"  
  
Kagome winced. "The one who always pinches my cheek?"  
  
"Yes, her. Well, unfortunately she's had a small stroke and fell down a flight of stairs. She's stable, but your grandfather and I have to be there tomorrow morning to take care of her at her home until she's well enough."   
  
"Mom, I can't leave now! I'm in the middle of finals!"  
  
"I know that, Kagome." Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "Well, if you can handle the house, I could leave you and Sota here. And your friend too."  
  
Kagome barely heard her mother. Stuck at home? During finals? With Sota and Inuyasha, perhaps the most unpredictable and noticeable guy she had ever met? Who got hyperactive when confined, and was presently huffing the coffeemaker? A guy with dog ears and silver hair? Keeping Inuyasha hidden would be a job in itself, never mind finals.  
  
But what choice do I have? she thought miserably. "Okay, Mom."  
  
"All right then. I'm going to tell Sota when he gets home Ñ Inuyasha? Would you come in?"  
  
Inuyasha appeared, smelling like coffee beans. "Yeah?"  
  
Mrs. Higurashi smiled brightly. "Inuyasha, there's been a little family problem, so I and Kagome's grandfather are going to be leaving for several days."  
  
Inuyasha shot a look at Kagome. As plainly as if he had said it out loud, she knew what he was thinking: "You're going to want me to leave." She shook her head wildly.  
  
"But you're welcome to stay for as long as you need to," Mrs. Higurashi continued. "Is that all right with you? Do you have any questions?"  
  
Inuyasha contemplated the idea for a moment. Then he pointed at Kagome and announced, "But she can't cook."  
  
Kagome was too outraged to say anything but "Sit!"  
  
*  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	5. Homecoming Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR  
  
*  
  
"Bye Mom!" Kagome shouted, waving wildly. "Bye, Grandpa. I'll take care of Sota until you get back! Love you both!"  
  
The taxi sputtered off down the street. Kagome kept waving from the curb until they had dwindled away down the street. Then she glanced along the empty streets. "You can come out now. No one's watching."  
  
A silver head poked out of the bushes. Inuyasha sniffed the air suspiciously.   
  
"I don't know why you're out here anyway," Kagome said, starting up the steps to the shrine. "It's not like I'm gonna get mugged by the taxi driver."  
  
"Hmph. Whatever." Inuyasha leaped up the stairs, landing directly in front of her. His face had a foreboding look that she knew very, very well. "And maybe this is the right time for you to say it to me."  
  
"Say what?"  
  
He almost erupted. "Say WHAT? An apology for all the agony you put me through! You yelled those stupid 'sit' commands three times in one day -- and the first time, I didn't even do anything wrong!"  
  
"That was a fluke, and personally I think it hurt me a lot more than it hurt you. Okay, I'm very sorry I kept shouting that at you. Happy now?"  
  
"Not really." Inuyasha folded his arms, scowling.  
  
"Look, Inuyasha, I'm sorry that I overreacted over that crack about my cooking. And I'm really sorry that I made you land on me, even if that WAS your fault-"  
  
"MY FAULT?"  
  
"You were practically sitting on me, staring at my eyes until I woke up. Now I don't like it when my cat does that, and you may have pretty eyes, but it's STILL not cute when you do it, no matter how good your intentions."  
  
Kagome braced herself for another verbal onslaught, but to her surprise Inuyasha's face had gone blank. Then he frowned, looking puzzled. "Pretty eyes? You think I have pretty eyes?" he said slowly, as if accustoming himself to the idea.  
  
"Er..." Kagome said, feeling herself blush. "Um. Let's get inside. Sota will be waiting for us."  
  
She almost raced up the concrete steps to the shrine, with Inuyasha following slowly behind her, with a thoughtful look on his face.  
  
*  
  
"I need to study!" Kagome called over her shoulder, balancing a stack of books up to her chin. If I can make it up the stairs, she thought, it would be easier from then on.  
  
"But you did that LAST night!" Inuyasha shouted from the kitchen.  
  
"Yes! I need to do it again tonight; it's an ongoing project."  
  
"But if you study, what are we supposed to eat?"  
  
Kagome's math textbook slipped off her pile of books, and clattered down at Inuyasha's feet. Reluctantly he picked up the book and carried it up after her.  
  
A few hours later, Kagome rubbed her eyes. They itched as if she had been awake too long, even though she had had plenty of sleep the night before. Cities, borders, national languages and customs danced in her head like cackling sprites.  
  
Inuyasha was sprawled on her bed, with his legs dangling off the edge. He was a strange, jarring presence in an otherwise normal girl's bedroom, especially with a small plastic screen in front of his face. Kagome knew from long experience that Inuyasha tended to either stare intently at her, or bounce off the walls if he didn't have something to do. So she'd provided him with Sota's old Etch-A-Sketch, and he hadn't moved in three straight hours, except to shake it vigorously.  
  
"Why do you do this stuff anyway?" Inuyasha said suddenly. "Seems like a lot of work for nothin'."  
  
"It's not for nothing," Kagome said absently. "I wanna get into a good high school, and then a good college, so I can have a good job one day."  
  
"Seems like a lot of work just so you can do more work. You should stay on the other side of the well for good. Save yourself a lot of trouble."  
  
"Don't tempt me when I'm ready to rip my hair out over this," Kagome said.  
  
Inuyasha shrugged and went back to his sketching.   
  
Suddenly Kagome stiffened. From somewhere in the house, she had heard a door slam. "Kagome?" a girl's voice called.  
  
"It's Yuka!" Kagome squeaked, almost falling out of her chair. Faint footsteps were coming closer. "Hide!"  
  
"Where?" Inuyasha demanded, getting off the bed.  
  
Kagome looked wildly around her room, then grabbed Inuyasha and threw him into her closet. She slammed the door shut, cutting off his outraged shout, just as the bright-eyed schoolgirl came into her room.   
  
"Kagome? I hope you don't mind, but the front door was open," Yuka said. "Are you okay? You look a little out of breath."  
  
"I was just, uh..."  
  
"Is your inhaler anywhere around?"  
  
"It's not that, don't worry. Um, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to bring you the notes for geography class," Yuka said, holding out a giant wad of papers. "I know you must have gotten behind when you were in bed with malaria."  
  
There was a faint thump inside the closet. Kagome quickly pasted on a cheery smile. "Oh yeah, malaria. I have so many illnesses, I lose track of them."  
  
"Most people wouldn't be that upbeat when they'd been sick as long as you have. And you can still manage to drag yourself to finals!" Yuka gushed. "That takes real dedication. I don't think anything could keep you away from your schoolwork."  
  
Kagome watched the closet out of the corner of her eye. Inuyasha was probably boiling, especially since there wasn't much space in there. "Um, Yuka, I'm starting to feel a little... ooh, I feel a stomach cramp coming on," she said, rubbing her stomach and trying to look pained. "I think I should lie down. Thanks for the notes!"  
  
Yuka offered her warm, rambling sympathy before Kagome announced that she had a splitting migraine starting, and that she could use complete silence. When the door slammed and Kagome was just relaxing, the closet door banged open. Inuyasha strode out, with several skimpy tank tops and a couple of bras draped over his shoulders and head. He would have looked comical, if he hadn't been simmering.  
  
"Who's 'Malaria'?" he said through gritted teeth.  
  
Thinking back on what Yuka had said, Kagome sighed. As she plucked the tops and underwear off him, she said calmly, "Malaria is a disease, not a person. And for your information, I have never had malaria in my life."  
  
Inuyasha looked vaguely embarrassed. He unhooked a bra from his long silver hair and handed it to her, trying not to look her in the eye. "And you've got too much stuff in there."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	6. Homecoming Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
*  
  
"What's the matter with you?" Kagome asked tartly. She winced as the knife nicked her hand, and quickly stuck her thumb in her mouth. "You made a mistake. Everyone does. Granted, yours was bigger and more embarrassing than most-"  
  
"Thanks for the comfort!" Inuyasha shouted.   
  
One of Inuyasha's biggest weaknesses was his face, Kagome thought with a smile. When he got embarrassed, or when he lied, he blushed bright red. He'd been flushed ever since the incident in the closet.   
  
I'm just glad he didn't get mad enough to burst out of there before Nabiki left, she thought. An angry half-demon with dog ears and a short fuse would be hard to explain away. She poured a half-cup of water into the pan and covered it.   
  
Inuyasha sniffed suspiciously. "Did you cook that?"  
  
"Shut up. It's instant -- I just add water and let it simmer." Kagome dusted off her hands. "I need to talk to you upstairs."  
  
"What about?" Inuyasha asked, following her up the stairway.   
  
Kagome pointed down the hall from her room. One of the doors had a motley assortment of stickers, while another had a flower painted over the knob. The third was plain, except for hastily applied spell scrolls.   
  
"Does that old coot really think that'll keep me out if I wanna go in?" Inuyasha asked irritably.  
  
"Well, it doesn't matter. You need to pick a bedroom to stay in until Mom and Grandpa come back."  
  
"I do? Since when?"  
  
"Since they left." Kagome folded her arms sternly. "I'm not sleeping in the same room with you if there are two empty rooms in the house. The last thing I need is more distraction. So, which do you want? How about Mom's?"  
  
Inuyasha looked away, wrinkling his nose. "It's too frilly."  
  
Him and his macho pride, Kagome thought, rolling her eyes. "How about Grandpa's, then?"  
  
Inuyasha growled, "That one's even worse. It's full of incense. The smell is so thick I can barely breathe."  
  
"That's true," Kagome said, rubbing her chin. "I don't have your sense of smell, but I can smell it even through the door. I'm just used to it, that's all."  
  
"I'm not, and I don't plan to be." Inuyasha folded his hands into his wide sleeves, still glaring at the spell-covered door. "Although I'm tempted to use it just to show the old coot that his spells don't work. Show him AGAIN, that is," he added, smirking.   
  
"So you'll take Mom's room?"  
  
"If you take the frilly stuff out."  
  
Kagome sighed. "I'm not sure why I'm giving in, but I'll take out the bedspread and the chair cover, and beyond that, no way."  
  
*   
  
The next morning was hectic. Kagome nearly had a wrestling match with Inuyasha in the foyer, as he insisted that she had to make food before leaving. "I can't!" she shouted. "I have another final in about forty-five minutes and I'm already late!"  
  
She managed to break away from Inuyasha and drag the groggy Sota out to his own bus. "And don't leave the house!" she shouted as she ran down the steps.   
  
The test went relatively well, but Kagome could feel herself wobbling under pressure. She racked her brains, often torn between possible answers. The notes Yuka had brought her were a help, but she left with the sinking feeling that she had flunked.  
  
As she raced out of the school, she breathed a sigh of relief. Just so long as Inuyasha hadn't burned down the house while she was gone...  
  
A bicycle bell went off nearby. Kagome turned just in time to see Hojo riding toward her, waving and smiling. She waved and smiled back, then turned and ran down the sidewalk.  
  
What am I feeling guilty for? she thought. Why do I feel weird even TALKING to Hojo when Inuyasha's at home?   
  
She felt even more irritated as she ran down a side-street, glancing back to see if Hojo was following her. Somehow, despite being the most desired boy in the school, with girls falling over themselves to even meet him, he had singled her out over and over.   
  
And what do I do? Kagome said to herself. I rush away from Hojo, to be with a guy who hasn't ever even kissed me or said he loves me, and who's still covered in hangups because of his ex-girlfriend, who is now an undead, super-powerful stalker priestess. I'm such an idiot...  
  
Feeling even stupider, she stepped into her house and called, "I'm home!"  
  
"Kagome!" Sota rushed out of the kitchen, tears in his eyes. "Inuyasha fainted and I can't get him to wake up!"  
  
Kagome's heart nearly stopped. "What? How? Where?"  
  
"Out in the toolshed!" Sota seized Kagome's hand and half-dragged her out into the courtyard.  
  
Kagome tried to keep herself calm as she ran out to the rickety little shed where Grandpa kept tools, paint, and other odds and ends used to keep the shrine in good repair. But she was terrified. If Inuyasha was seriously ill, she couldn't take him to a hospital. What could have happened? she thought. He was fine this morning...  
  
She saw a flash of red through the half-closed door, and wrenched it open. Inuyasha was sprawled facedown on the floor, his clawed hands extended toward the door.   
  
"He - he wasn't like that when I left," Sota stammered.   
  
Kagome took a deep breath and wrinkled her nose. "I'll grab his arms, you grab his legs." She slipped her arms around Inuyasha's chest and heaved him up. She tottered back out of the shed, with the half-demon drooping over her. Then she dropped him in a heap under the willow tree.   
  
"What's the matter?" Sota asked, wiping his eyes.  
  
Kagome tore open her backpack, took out a file folder, and started waving it over Inuyasha's face. "Sota, what were you doing in there?"  
  
"I was - I was just showin' him around the shrine. And I was looking for some paint for my arts'n'crafts project."  
  
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "You opened a can of paint thinner, didn't you?"   
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"I was born with a nose."  
  
Sota looked slightly embarrassed. "So, what's wrong with him?"  
  
"I've seen him like this before," Kagome said, fanning Inuyasha faster. "He's got an incredibly sensitive nose, and strong smells like that knock him out cold. Imagine the strongest smell you can think of, and multiply it by at least thirty. He probably woke up just long enough to drag himself to the door."  
  
Inuyasha coughed hard and sat up, his eyes bloodshot. "WHAT'S THAT STENCH?" he rasped.  
  
"That was paint thinner," Kagome said, fanning his face. "You're going to be okay, I think. How do you feel?"  
  
"My head hurts and my mouth tastes like-"  
  
"Not in front of my brother!" Kagome interrupted. Sota looked mildly disappointed.   
  
Inuyasha sulkily fell silent, and reluctantly leaned on Kagome as she led him into the house again.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	7. Homecoming Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX  
  
*  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome said slowly, sloshing suds over the frying pan. "Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure, just so long as you do it quietly," Inuyasha said. Ever since recovering from the paint thinner episode, he had been sprawled in the corner of the kitchen, with a wet washcloth on his head and Tetsusaiga hugged against his chest.   
  
Kagome sighed. She knew that the slightest attention of any other male towards her provoked Inuyasha to jealous fury. That was one of the things that confused her -- if he was still clinging to Kikyo, why did he freak out if another guy made doe eyes at her? Hojo should be the sort of guy she was interested in, but...  
  
"It's sort of hypothetical," she said. "See, pretend there is this guy."  
  
"What kind of a guy?" Inuyasha came over and leaned his elbows on the countertop.   
  
"Okay, I guess. Anyway, say I see this guy on a semi-regular basis -- nit every day, but a lot of the time. He's very attractive, and lots of girls swoon over him because he's very handsome, but I'm not really interested in him."  
  
Inuyasha's golden eyes were getting narrower and narrower.  
  
"But, even though I've never, you know, gone out with the guy, he's very interested in me, and even though I've never really given him a lot of notice he keeps pursuing me like there's no tomorrow. Um. What do you think of that sort of thing? I mean, what would you do?"  
  
Inuyasha blinked at her. Then his face distorted with rage as he looked out the window at the mini-shrine. His claws cracked ominously. "I'm gonna kill Miroku," he growled.   
  
"No no no!" Kagome said quickly, grabbing his hands. "It's not Miroku, don't worry. He hasn't been grabbing me for months. Not ever since you threatened to tear off his head and nail it to a tree."  
  
Inuyasha frowned. "Then who are you talkin' about?"  
  
"I told you, it's hypothetical."  
  
"Feh."  
  
"You don't believe me?"  
  
"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I wasn't born yesterday," Inuyasha said acidly. "Nobody talks about those sorts of things unless they're just covering for someone."  
  
"Oh well," Kagome said, scrubbing the bowls furiously. "It's not important. Besides, nobody would care."  
  
"I care!" Inuyasha exploded.   
  
Kagome froze, dropping her sponge with a loud, unromantic splat. But Inuyasha had already left the kitchen, grumbling under his breath. "I can't figure him out," she muttered.  
  
*  
  
Inuyasha was crouched on the sofa when Kagome came out of the kitchen. She wiped her hands on her skirt and put her hands on her hips. "You know, this is the sort of behavior I'd expect from Sota."  
  
"Is not."  
  
"Is so."  
  
"Is not."  
  
"Why does everything have to be a fight with you?"  
  
"Hmph," Inuyasha grumbled, sinking further into the couch cushions.  
  
Kagome sighed deeply. "Look, I'm not dating anyone. Does that make you happy?"  
  
"No."  
  
Kagome gritted her teeth and went over to the CD player. After rifling through her collection of imports, she finally selected one. "Hmm. This one hasn't been listened to in a while." She slipped in the disc and hit the play button. "There's not a lot of electricity in the feudal era, so I can't bring these along."  
  
Inuyasha looked oddly disturbed. He held out a hand. "Uh, Kagome, you don't wanna do that..."  
  
"Why not?" As if to answer Kagome's question, the stereo clicked and whirred several times, uttered a low buzzing sound, then spat the CD back out. She frowned, examining the CD player, then turned the disc over. The underside was scored with wavering white scratches.  
  
She slowly looked up at the half-demon. His face was a comical mix of embarrassment and repentance. "Inuyasha?" she said slowly.   
  
"I was just looking at it," he said.  
  
"You did more than look at it." After testing it for a few moments, Kagome added ruefully, "Here's irony. The only song left intact is called 'Stay the Night."  
  
Inuyasha flushed and slumped down further on the sofa.   
  
*  
  
"I don't know why you need the sheets changed," Kagome grumbled, tripping on the trailing bedsheets on her way out on Inuyasha's bedroom. "Mom changes them almost religiously. It's not like they smell or anything."  
  
"Yes, they do," Inuyasha said, sitting on the mattress and bouncing a little.  
  
"No more than my bedroom does," Kagome called from inside the linen closet.  
  
"You don't put flower smells on your pillows," Inuyasha retorted. He wrinkled his nose. "It don't even smell like flowers. It smells like something else trying to smell like flowers."  
  
Kagome stumbled back in, trying to keep the sheets and pillowcases in one overflowing bunch. "Well, if it makes you feel better, these don't have perfume on them. Off the bed."  
  
Inuyasha watched as Kagome quickly put the sheets on his bed, then spread the coverlet back over it. "Thanks," he mumbled, pulling off his kimono.  
  
Kagome flushed and quickly looked away, but Inuyasha didn't seem inclined to take anything more off. He leapt lightly onto the bed and curled up with his head on the pillows. Tetsusaiga was at his side. His golden eyes slowly closed, and his body shifted with a sigh.  
  
Kagome watched him for a moment, remembering how she had first seen him. He had been pinned to an enormous tree by Kikyo's sacred arrow, which had "killed" him for fifty years, give or take. But he hadn't looked dead. He had looked like a young boy -- a boy with dog ears -- who had simply fallen asleep and never woken up, covered in vines. With an arrow piercing his chest. He usually slept in trees now, so Kagome rarely saw him resting like this. His face was relaxed and peaceful, making him look even younger than he was.  
  
"Inuyasha?" Kagome said softly. "Aren't you going to use the blankets?"  
  
Inuyasha mumbled something and snuggled into the mattress.  
  
Kagome smiled. She reached over and flicked a lock of silver hair out of Inuyasha's face, then slipped out without a sound.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	8. Homecoming Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
*  
  
Kagome let her algebra textbook fall open with a thud. Her eyes felt like they were full of sand, but she was determined to get some studying done before her test. Inuyasha and Sota were fast asleep, and unless there was a major crisis neither of them would be bothering her until morning.  
  
She frowned as she flipped to chapter ten. The pages were covered with tiny grubby handprints. Shippo, she thought with a sigh. Like Inuyasha, the tiny fox-demon never understood why she spent so much time on her homework. She had found him flipping through her textbooks, asking why there weren't any stories inside.  
  
"It's not a book for stories, Shippo," she had explained. But at his insistence, she had turned some of the schoolwork into bedtime stories. "And X and Y got married, and lived happily ever after..."  
  
At about midnight, Kagome yawned. After closing her book, she collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep. Her only dreams were of having Inuyasha defending her from algebraic equations... the usual weird stuff.  
  
*  
  
A loud clatter woke her up.   
  
Kagome blinked up at the ceiling. Her room was pitch black, except for the beams of moonlight sifting through her gauzy curtains. She sat up slowly, glancing around and rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Inuyasha?" she called softly. "Is that you  
  
Opening the door, Kagome tiptoed over to the stairs. The downstairs was still dark; Inuyasha and Sota's doors were still shut. Buyo was sprawled on the steps, purring in his sleep.  
  
"Just a dream," she murmured finally. "Good thing..."  
  
But a flashlight beam cut through the darkness, wandering over the hallway and over the walls. Slowly, searching. Kagome ducked around the corner, her stomach flip-flopping.  
  
"Inuyasha," she whispered again.  
  
She crept as quickly as she dared over the smooth floor and into Inuyasha's bedroom. He was still curled up on her mother's bed, with his knees drawn up to his chest and his long silver hair catching the moonlight. Kagome crept across the bed to him and prodded his shoulder. "Inuyasha!" she whispered.  
  
"Hrm..." he mumbled.  
  
"Inuyasha, wake up! There's a burglar downstairs!"  
  
Inuyasha sat up, fully awake. "What?"  
  
"There's a burglar downstairs!" Kagome repeated, clutching her robe shut.   
  
In the faint light, his face looked... well, demonic as he smiled. "Don't worry. I can deal with a small-fry thief."  
  
"I know you can. That's why I woke you up."  
  
Inuyasha's hand closed on Tetsusaiga, only to have Kagome grab her arm. "Not with that!" she whispered. "I know what you can do with the Tetsusaiga, but I want Mom to still find a living room when she comes home from her trip!"  
  
Inuyasha scowled, but let the sword fall back to the bed.   
  
Kagome could hear the faint footsteps of the thief, as she followed Inuyasha to the stairway. The half-demon's golden eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. He punched the palm of one hand with a slightly savage smile. "Time to have some fun," he muttered.  
  
"Be careful," Kagome whispered.  
  
"It's just a human," Inuyasha said, his claws cracking ominously. "I could beat him to a pulp if I was dead drunk."  
  
"I know that, but he might have a knife or a gun."  
  
"He can't see in the dark, can he? Well, I can."  
  
He slipped down the stairs and into the darkened living room. He could smell the thief, a scent that grew stronger as he moved past. The smell was all over the house; the man had been looting every room. Inuyasha growled softly.  
  
The thief looked over his shoulder, only to see a pair of glinting golden eyes watching him. Something sharp smashed his flashlight, splintering tiny rays of light over a snarling face that looked half-man, half-dog. "Mangy creeping mutt!" Inuyasha shouted.  
  
Kagome waited until the burglar started shrieking, then flipped on the hall lights. As she dialed the emergency number, something crashed and Inuyasha yelled, "Get back here, you mewling coward!"  
  
"Hello?" Kagome said loudly into the receiver, above the sound of the thief's shrieks, Inuyasha's grunting, and the sound of furniture being shattered. "I'd like to report a break-in."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	9. Homecoming Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
*  
  
A small wooden table had been broken right through the middle, with dozens of dents on top of it. Two chairs had been cracked in half, with the legs shattered to splinters. Miscellaneous cracks in the walls. And a few breakables reduced to dust.  
  
Kagome craned her neck, trying to see more over the policeman's shoulder. The living room had been thoroughly smashed by Inuyasha's acrobatic beating of the robber. To top it off, there were a few bloodstains on the wall -- the thief's, not Inuyasha's. He'd escaped without a scratch. Weirdly enough, he'd been more angry than tired afterward.  
  
Can he do ANYTHING without breaking something? He's like a very large bull in a very small china shop, she thought, rolling her eyes.  
  
At the sound of sirens, she had banished Inuyasha to her closet upstairs and told him not to come out, no matter what, or else. She'd emptied a lot of the clothes from it, but it was still pretty stuffy.  
  
"So, the thief tried to escape when you came at him with a candlestick," a young man was asking her. "You hit him, he broke the furniture, and he passed out, and then you called the police?"  
  
"Yes, that's right."  
  
From the hallway, Kagome could hear the thief wailing, "It wasn't her! It was a demon -- it had claws -- fangs -- it was growling..." He was still raving as they dragged him out the door in handcuffs, with blood streaming down his face.  
  
"We'll just check upstairs, miss," one of the officers said.  
  
Kagome felt a chill. "Do you have to?" she asked desperately. "My... my brother is up there."  
  
The officer patted her head, a gesture that made her grimace. "Don't worry. We always do that, to make sure nobody's up there, and we won't wake your brother."  
  
Kagome bit her lip. A few minutes later a portly officer came down the stairs and announced, "Nothing." He spoke softly to his superior, then winked at Kagome on his way out. She wasn't sure what the wink meant, but she was just glad they apparently hadn't checked her closet.  
  
The lead police officer looked rather sternly at her, then said, "Good night, miss."  
  
Kagome sank down on the couch as the sound of the police cars faded into the distance. Now that the trouble was over, her stomach was twisting into a tight little knot. She felt sick -- sick at the idea of someone breaking into her home, and the thought of what MIGHT have happened to her and Sota if Inuyasha hadn't been there.  
  
A shadow slipped down the stairs and revealed itself to be Inuyasha, with a pink sweater in one hand. "It's still too cramped in there. Did you know your mother's been wearing this?" he said all in one breath.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I'm sleeping in her bed. I know what she smells like."  
  
Kagome sighed. "It doesn't matter. I was afraid that they'd find you in there."   
  
She rose and wandered into the kitchen. Inuyasha sprawled out, still playing with her sweater. He draped one leg over the rather battered arm of the sofa. "Well, someone sort of did."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"It wasn't my fault. I was sittin' in there, waiting for them to go away, when somebody opened the door." Inuyasha picked at a loose thread. "It was some fat human. He just looked at me -- he couldn't see much except my face -- and then said, 'Son, that's the first place they always look.' Then he shuts it again." He shrugged. "Don't know what 'they' he was talkin' about."  
  
Kagome felt torn between laughing and crying. So that was why that one guy had winked. She carried a tray into the living room, stepping carefully over broken chairs and smashed plates.   
  
Inuyasha sniffed. "What's zat?"  
  
"Cinnamon buns and tea."  
  
"Don't you have some test tomorrow?" Inuyasha nibbled one of the buns suspiciously.   
  
"Yes, but I'm all freaked out now." Kagome sank onto the couch beside him. "I don't think I can sleep." She leaned her dark head against the back of the couch, as close to his shoulder as she could without touching him. She took a halfhearted bite of her bun. "You were really mad at that guy. I've never seen you attack a human like that."  
  
"I had a reason. What are you doing?"   
  
Kagome held up her hands, with strands of Inuyasha's silver hair tangled in them. "I'm braiding your hair on this side. What reason?"  
  
Inuyasha swallowed half his tea, avoiding Kagome's eyes. "I was scared."  
  
Kagome frowned. "Scared of HIM?"  
  
"I wasn't scared for myself. I was thinkin' about you. About what that little creep might have done to you if I hadn't been here. I know his type, the little weasel." He watched the remaining tea slosh around the cup. "I hated that thought. It made me madder than anything else I could think of, and I just wanted to beat him to a pulp. I didn't want to see you get hurt, and the idea that you might've if I hadn't been here made me see red..."  
  
His golden eyes were narrow and shadowy, as he seemed to see something far away. But when he turned to Kagome, he saw that she was snuggled against him -- fast asleep.  
  
"I open up, she falls asleep," he growled.  
  
He silently ate the rest of his bun, and after a moment of thought, ate hers as well. Then, careful not to wake her, he gathered Kagome in his arms as gently as if she were made of porcelain. He moved through the ruined room and up the stairs, just as the sun peeked over the horizon.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	10. Homecoming Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE  
  
*  
  
Kagome woke to the high-pitched beeping of her alarm clock. Groping for it with her eyes closed, she switched it off. Her hand felt like it was weighted down with lead, and her eyes were full of sand.  
  
Algebra final, she remembered blearily. It was that day. The last thing she remembered clearly was being on the couch with Inuyasha. He'd been talking, but as hard as she tried to focus, she had fallen asleep. There were fragmented memories after that, a brief glimpse of the hall lights, the feeling of being held in his arms against his shoulder, his blunted claws poking at her back, the faint musky smell of his skin, and a blanket being pulled up to her chin.  
  
He carried me upstairs, she thought, feeling warm. Wow... I didn't know he could be that sweet when I wasn't awake.  
  
"Kagome?" a small voice said from outside.  
  
"What is it?" Kagome said, forcing her eyes open.  
  
Sota was standing in the doorway, clutching Buyo like a teddy bear. "What happened downstairs?" he asked in a listless voice.  
  
"There was a burglar. Inuyasha beat him up for me," Kagome said, slithering out of bed and somehow getting her uniform out of the closet.   
  
"A burglar?" Sota cried, clutching Buyo tighter. The spotted cat yawned and licked his paw, unconcerned. "Why didn't you wake me up?"  
  
"It was a burglary, not a party," Kagome said, yawning. "Is Inuyasha up yet?"  
  
"Nuh-uh." Sota dropped the cat and clutched at his stomach. "My stomach hurts."  
  
"Hurts-hurts, or throws-up-hurts?"  
  
"Throws-up-hurts."  
  
Kagome groaned. Sota had faked stomach bugs before -- usually when she was babysitting -- but the faintly green tinge to his skin wasn't something he could pretend to have. "Okay, go back to bed. I'll call your teacher and tell her you're sick."  
  
After hastily pulling on her uniform, she knocked on Inuyasha's door. "Inuyasha? Are you awake?" she called softly.  
  
There was no answer. Kagome knocked harder on the door, and was rewarded by a muffled groan. "Inuyasha, get your butt out of bed!" she called, opening the door.   
  
He was curled up on her mom's bed, with his face buried in his knees. His kimono had been yanked over his back, as a sort of makeshift blanket. Kagome crept over to him and began tugging at his arm. When he failed to react, she gave a lock of his long silver hair a sharp tug.  
  
"Inuyasha?" she whispered in one drooping dog ear. "Wake up. I need you to babysit my brother. So get your butt out of bed."  
  
Inuyasha tensed up further. So he was really awake, but was trying to pretend he wasn't.   
  
After Kagome managed to roll him halfway off the bed, Inuyasha grudgingly agreed to watch Sota. "You owe me for this!" he shouted out the window as she ran out of the house and past the storehouse.  
  
He watched the tiny speck of green and white dwindled down the street, then glumly put on his kimono. He hadn't admitted it to Kagome, but he had wanted to leave the house during the day because of her. When she scurried away to that strange school of hers, he felt more alone than before, strangely empty. It was even worse here than on the other side of the well -- every room, except her grandfather's stinking cell, was touched by her scent. It made him wish all over again that she was there with him.  
  
As Inuyasha opened the door, he wrinkled his nose. The kid had been throwing up recently.   
  
"Can you come get me a bucket?" Sota called from his bedroom.  
  
*  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
"Hey, Higurashi!"  
  
"Is it true? Are you okay?"  
  
Kagome barged through the bustle of the school halls, elbowed past a pair of chatting teachers and made a dash for the math schoolroom. She was cut off by a gaggle of her classmates.  
  
"Kagome!" Yuka said breathlessly. "We heard all about how you were robbed! Are you all right?"  
  
"Because of that tapeworm, we thought you might have been too weak to do anything," Ayumi added.  
  
Kagome hoped that, wherever he was, her grandfather got hit on the head by falling objects. "I'm fine, really," she said feebly. "Everything's under control, and nothing got stolen." Not unless you could all the furniture Inuyasha broke, she thought.  
  
She flushed a little as she remembered him carrying her up the stairs.   
  
"Are you okay?" a concerned voice said from behind her. "Are you getting overheated?"  
  
Kagome almost choked when Hojo touched her shoulder lightly. "No, no," she said. "I'm fine, really. Just a little nervous about the math test, that's all."  
  
Hojo smiled warmly. "Well, you always do well on this sorta stuff. Good luck to you."  
  
Kagome could feel her cheeks burning as the students filed in. I'm not even sure why I feel so guilty, she thought. I'm not going out with Hojo, I'm not flirting with him... and even if I wanted to, it wouldn't be anyone's business but mine.   
  
But the image of Inuyasha shouting "I care!" rose in her mind, made her pause.  
  
"Who am I kidding?" she mumbled, taking out her pencils.  
  
Hojo's concern and Inuyasha's jealousy rattled in her brain as she tried to remember anything involving Z and how it related to X. Lack of sleep took its toll. After four or five questions, Kagome could feel herself floundering. On the way home, she berated herself for letting the two boys get to her.  
  
For the rest of the week, she thought, I'm not going to let Inuyasha or Hojo distract me.   
  
When she opened the door, she saw a familiar sight -- Inuyasha hunched over the table with his face buried in the coffeemaker, breathing hard. "Are you okay?" Kagome asked. "You look a little green."  
  
Inuyasha surfaced just long enough to glare at her.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


	11. Homecoming Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN  
  
*  
  
"Are you feeling any better, Inuyasha?" Kagome slid the last of the cookies onto a baking sheet.   
  
Inuyasha still kept his hands clamped over his mouth and nose, but he'd stopped glaring at her since the smell of cookies filled the kitchen. Sota's repeated vomiting had taken a toll on Inuyasha's sensitive nose, and Kagome could tell the day had been hell if he had run to bury his face in the coffeemaker again.  
  
"Did you bake those?" he said.  
  
"They're the instant slice-off kind, so shut up about my cooking." Kagome set the plate in front of him. "So I found out that Yuka's dad is a police officer, which explains how the story about the house being broken into -- are you listening to me?"  
  
Inuyasha was smelling one of the cookies carefully. "No."  
  
Kagome sighed. "Okay, do those make up for leaving you with Sota all day? You did something for me, and now I'm doing something for you. It pays to be nice. Good karma."  
  
"Yeah," Inuyasha said grudgingly. "I don't see why I can't leave the house. It stinks in here, and the kid almost threw up on me. He was making me sick."  
  
Kagome nibbled absently at a cookie. "I just hope Yuka's dad didn't tell anybody at my school about you..."  
  
"Why?" Inuyasha said sourly. "Ashamed of me?"  
  
"It's because," Kagome said loudly, "I'm in danger of becoming known as the sort of girl who smuggles boys into her closet when her mother isn't home. That's why."  
  
Inuyasha looked as thoughtful as he could manage with a mouthful of cookie.   
  
Kagome wandered into the living room and checked on Sota. Her brother was sprawled on the couch under a blanket, with a bucket beside him. Kagome had to admit -- Inuyasha had the worst bedside manner of anyone she'd ever met, but he was a competant nurse. Even when he was queasy.  
  
"Feel any better?" she asked, sitting beside him.  
  
Sota looked up from his video games. He didn't look quite as green as he had earlier. "Yeah, a little."  
  
"How was Inuyasha today?"  
  
Sota thought for a moment, frowned. "Is he sick too? 'Cause sometimes he looked pretty bad."  
  
"Yeah, I bet he did," Kagome said, thinking of Inuyasha with his face in the cofee machine.  
  
*  
  
Inuyasha soon found himself banished to the upstairs floor. "Why do I have to be up here?" he shouted down the stairs.  
  
"Because I did terribly on my final today, and I need to study for tomorrow!" Kagome shouted back at him.   
  
Nursing his injured pride, Inuyasha retreated to Kagome's bedroom. Her mother's room still smelled like dust and perfume, and her grandfather's -- from which he had meticulously scratched out all the talismans -- still stank of incense. Kagome's room still just smelled like her.  
  
He sprawled on the floor at the foot of her bed, flipping through her books. He didn't understand half the words, and most of them didn't have pictures. A few of them did, but mostly of animals he'd never seen before. Eventually he tossed the books aside and picked up the Etch-a-Sketch.  
  
After a few minutes, his ears twitched. Something in the bathroom was dripping.   
  
Twenty minutes later, Inuyasha couldn't stand it any longer. The dripping noise was driving him crazy. He stalked out of Kagome's room and into the bathroom, where that noise was coming from.  
  
He knelt and studied the faucet. After carefully considering, he clutched one of the handles in each hand, and twisted them as far as he could, the way he'd seen Kagome do it. He waited a few seconds. It dripped again.  
  
He growled faintly. If he couldn't turn it off, maybe he could plug it up. He searched around the bathroom for something to stuff into the faucet. Only a few things were the right size, and they didn't stay in. After a moment or two, each one dropped out. And it was still dripping.  
  
All right, he thought, cracking his knuckles. I'll play rough.  
  
He seized the faucet and began bending it. If he twisted it enough, maybe the dripping would stop--  
  
And an explosion of water hit him in the face.  
  
The faucet snapped off in Inuyasha's hands, and in his surprise he crumpled it. Water was fountaining from the sink like a geyser, soaking his face and chest. Shocked, Inuyasha staggered back, slipped, and crumpled to the floor -- only to get hit by a fresh gush of water.  
  
Where's all the damn water coming from? he thought as he scrambled back to his feet. It wasn't slowing down or stopping. Desperately, Inuyasha tried to cover the broken pipe with his hands, but the water sprayed around his fingers and poured out over the floor.  
  
Inuyasha could barely see through the water that was still spraying in his eyes, but he could only wonder what Kagome was going to do when she found out...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	12. Homecoming Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
*  
  
Kagome yawned behind her hand. The lack of sleep was getting to her; she'd almost dozed off in class, and only a cup of coffee was getting her through her studies.   
  
I wish it were like this all the time, she thought. Quiet. Peaceful. Inuyasha was probably sleeping or something upstairs, especially since she had dragged him out of bed that morning.  
  
It was tough on the other side of the well, without any encyclopedias or dictionaries. Not to mention constant walking and adventures with Inuyasha, which were great for the legs but not so good for the brain. The worst thing is, he doesn't even acknowledge that I need to do this! she thought.  
  
She flicked another glossy textbook page.  
  
"Kagome?" called Sota. "Are you takin' a bath? I thought I heard the shower come on."  
  
"No," Kagome called back. The sound of water falling made her frown and look up.  
  
There was a small waterfall coming down the stairs.  
  
Kagome was too shocked to even shriek. She stumbled to her feet and ran up the stairs, slipping on the water that was cascading down every step. "Inuyasha!" she shouted. "Inuyasha?! What did you DO?!"  
  
The water was pouring from under the bathroom door; Kagome could hear crashing like a waterfall behind it, and the sound of something being hammered. Taking a deep breath, she wrenched the door open.  
  
Inuyasha was hunched over the sink; the faucet had been broken completely off, and a small geyser was spraying him right in the face. And the ceiling, the walls, and at least three inches of the floor. The bathtub was half-full. He looked like he was trying to plug the pipes with his fingers, but the water pressure was too intense.  
  
Kagome slogged over as some of the water drained out the open door. Dropping to her knees under the sink, she groped around. Her fingers closed on something round and hard, and she started twisting as hard as she could.   
  
The water died away to a trickle, then stopped complete as Kagome furiously turned the little wheel.   
  
Kagome pushed her wet bangs away from her eyes, and stood up, ready to scream in Inuyasha's face. But her anger drained away when she saw him. He looked like a half-drowned cat, with a look of complete bewilderment on his face. He glanced down at the broken faucet.  
  
Kagome took a deep breath. "Inuyasha...."  
  
Inuyasha coughed.   
  
Kagome sighed. "Never mind. I can't say it to you when you look like that." She grabbed his sleeve and led him into her mother's bedroom. "I need to get you into something less WET."  
  
"Why?" Inuyasha asked, wringing out his long silver hair.  
  
"Because right now you are a big walking sponge dripping on the floor, which is already soaked. Take off your clothes."  
  
Inuyasha scowled. "When I said that to you, you hit me with a rock."  
  
"Would it help if I said I was sorry? Okay, I'm really sorry that I bonked you on the head those times, and I apologize in advance for any future bonking. Satisfied? Now take off your clothes."  
  
Inuyasha didn't look satisfied, but he peeled off his kimono anyway. Kagome helped him with his silk undershirt, trying not to look at the chest and shoulders underneath. "Just what am I supposed to wear?" Inuyasha asked.   
  
Kagome squelched over to a carved wooden chest by the window. "I know they're in here -- no, too short -- too small -- here they are!" She pulled a pair of rather ratty sweatpants from the chest.  
  
"What are those?"  
  
"They were my dad's. Change into them while I dry out your clothes."  
  
Inuyasha looked dubious, but he took the pants and vanished into the closet. "They're too short!"   
  
*  
  
Moving to the feudal era was sounding more and more attractive. Kagome was supposed to be studying for the daunting English test the next day, but instead she was trying to mop up the soaked kitchen. Huge puddles had formed, and the carpet was so soggy she could barely stand on it. Even worse, it smelled like wet cat.  
  
She didn't actually hear Inuyasha come up behind her, but she knew he was there. "What is it now?"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Sorry, what?"  
  
"Sorry I broke it." He really did sound sorry. "I didn't know it was gonna explode."  
  
Kagome smiled. "Pick up a rag and mop."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	13. Homecoming Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
*  
  
The sun was only a red glow in the west when Kagome finally dropped the mop. The floor was as dry as Kagome could get it, and the carpet was now only sort-of-damp.  
  
Kagome knew she looked terrible, but she really didn't care. Inuyasha, with very rumpled hair and too-small sweatpants, looked almost as bad. Kagome adjusted her bathrobe and slumped down on the couch. Inuyasha was perched on the arm, and was deliberately not looking at her.  
  
"I'm not gonna yell at you," Kagome said after a moment.  
  
Inuyasha didn't answer.  
  
"And I'm not gonna 'sit' you either."  
  
Inuyasha turned to say something. But a horrified look came over his face, just before the necklace dragged him down. His head slammed into Kagome's lap.   
  
Too shocked to say anything, Kagome watched as Inuyasha scooted back on his backside, looking stunned and embarrassed. "I deserved that," she said, dusting herself off.  
  
"Yeah, you did," he said, turning around.  
  
"You're blushing again, aren't you?"  
  
"Am not."  
  
After another awkward silence, Inuyasha crept up onto the couch beside her, with his arms crossed tightly over his bare chest. Kagome watched his face. "Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" he said gruffly.  
  
"Well, you got sprayed in the face with a lot of water. I should have asked how you were once I turned it off."  
  
Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Are you saying YOU were wrong?"  
  
Kagome sighed. "Yes, but nowhere near as wrong as you were. What in the world possessed you to rip off the faucet?"  
  
Inuyasha mumbled something.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I wanted it to stop dripping. Happy now?"  
  
"You ripped it off to make it stop dripping?"  
  
"You make it sound like I was TRYING to rip it off!"  
  
"You mean you WEREN'T?!"  
  
The phone ringing interrupted Inuyasha halfway through his first word. He sank back in the couch, glowering, as Kagome picked up the phone. She had barred him from answering it under any circumstances, unless a telemarketer called and she wanted him to growl into the receiver. And even then, he wasn't sure she was serious...  
  
His ears pricked up as he heard her say wearily, "Hi Mom. Yeah -- no, we had a problem earlier. Back when? On Friday? Inuyasha will be glad to hear that. No kidding. Can you uh, put Grandpa on?" There was another long pause."Grandpa, how could you tell people I have a tapeworm? I ... no, he has NOT been in your room..."   
  
After a few more minutes of peculiar conversation, Kagome let the phone drop. Her grandfather had a tendency to ramble, and Inuyasha's presence just down the hall from his room had made him worse than usual. She ran her fingers through her damp, tangled hair.  
  
"Inuyasha?" she said, leaning on the door. "What do you want for dinner?"  
  
"Anything dead," Inuyasha said, examining the teak chess pieces.  
  
"Care to narrow it down? I'm not cooking, for your information; I'm going to order something. I'm too tired."  
  
He perked up noticeably. "Like what?"  
  
"Like anything dead."  
  
*  
  
Kagome slammed the textbook shut and switched off her desk light. Inuyasha owes me half of middle school, she thought darkly. Those trips back in time have killed my grades; I can barely keep up with anyone else. I hadn't set foot in the classroom in almost a month. And now on top of it, the bathroom is almost unusable, unless I wash my hands in the bathtub.   
  
She could hear Inuyasha pacing in the next room. She raised her hand to knock on the wall, but let it drop. Somehow it was comforting to know that he was there, even if the footsteps were getting a little annoying. Kagome smiled a little as the footsteps stopped, and the sound of bedsprings creaking started.  
  
He may be a huge pain at times, she thought, creeping into bed. But at least he's a pain that means well.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	14. Homecoming Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
*  
  
The first thing Kagome smelled when she woke up was smoke.  
  
She was wide awake immediately, and scrambling out of her bed. She was halfway down the stairs before she managed to shriek, "Fire! Inuyasha! FIRE! Someone call the-"   
  
Something small and moving hit her in the stomach. "It's okay!" Sota said as his sister doubled over. "False alarm! He put it out!"  
  
Massaging her sore stomach, Kagome went into the kitchen. Inuyasha was perched on the countertop, looking very pleased with himself. He was, she noticed, still wearing just those ratty sweatpants. Behind him, smoke was rising from a sodden, crumpled mass that, she guessed, had once been the toaster.  
  
"Anyone care to explain?" Kagome asked slowly.  
  
In small fragments, the story came out. Apparently Sota had tried to teach Inuyasha how to use the toaster, but had left a dishtowel on top of it. The dishtowel had burst into flame, and Inuyasha had quickly extinguished it with a pitcher of soda pop, the remains of which were dripping off the curtains and walls.  
  
Kagome sank into a chair. "It's too early for this," she mumbled. "I'm going back to bed."   
  
Inuyasha intercepted her at the door. "Don't you have a test today?" he asked.  
  
As if on cue, her alarm clock went off upstairs.  
  
Inuyasha gritted his teeth and dashed up the stairs. A moment later, the beeping stopped.  
  
When he came back downstairs, rubbing his fist, Kagome asked wearily, "You broke another one, didn't you?"  
  
"No, it was still in one piece," Inuyasha said.   
  
Kagome looked at the curtains and wondered if anyone had gone prematurely gray at fifteen. If anyone did, she thought, she would probably do so too.  
  
*  
  
Almost finished, Kagome whispered to herself. She felt strangely light and relieved at the thought that she was almost finished with her finals. The day after tomorrow, Grandpa and Mom would be home, and she could go back to the feudal era and forget -- at least for a week or two -- about studying.   
  
"Inuyasha," she said, dunking a plate into the sink. "I appreciate you protecting us. But did you really have to attack the mailman?"  
  
Inuyasha didn't meet her eyes as he dried a coffee cup. He had been being unusually helpful around the house. Probably trying to stay on Kagome's good side, after the exploding faucet incident.  
  
"Well? Why exactly DID you chase after him, growling and with no shirt on?"  
  
"I thought he was tryin' to break in."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He was rattling around the door."  
  
"He was trying to leave a package there!"  
  
"I know that NOW," Inuyasha said peevishly. "But nobody told me. Besides I didn't hurt the old geezer."  
  
Kagome sighed deeply. The image of Inuyasha chasing the mailman was kind of funny actually. The "old geezer" had probably been chased by a lot of dogs, but never half-dressed boys with dog ears and claws.   
  
"I'm causin' a lot of trouble, right?" Inuyasha said suddenly.   
  
Kagome was taken aback by the question. "Trouble? Well, um, some... I mean, Sota was the one who set the dishtowel on fire."  
  
"I didn't mean that. I meant in general." Inuyasha was intently watching soap bubbles trickle down his fingers.   
  
Kagome sighed. "Not too much. And I'm not just saying that." She took the bowl from his hand and smiled warmly at him... until his claws scraped against it.The noise set her teeth on edge and almost made Inuyasha pass out.  
  
The evening was relatively peaceful. Inuyasha's fire-rat clothing had finally dried, and he was wearing it when the three of them huddled on the couch to watch a movie.   
  
Kagome shifted on the cushions, and let her head rest against his forearm. All in all, I guess this week hasn't been too bad, she thought. Maybe nothing will go wrong tomorrow...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	15. Homecoming Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
  
*  
  
"I've checked in your closet five times already. There's nothing in there!" Kagome said, slamming Sota's door. "You just don't wanna go to bed, and you're trying to delay me. Well, it isn't going to work. My last final is tomorrow and I won't have you messing it up for me."  
  
A thin voice called, "Can I have a glass of water?"  
  
"No!" Kagome called over her shoulder. "You already had two!"  
  
She grimaced as she tiptoed to Inuyasha's room. Sota always pulled this when she babysat -- come hell or high water, he wouldn't go to bed quietly.  
  
When she opened the door, she saw that Inuyasha was kneeling at the foot of it, staring at Buyo. The cat was sprawled on the covers, clearly unwilling to move.  
  
"Having a problem?" Kagome asked.  
  
"I want the cat gone," Inuyasha said flatly. "I'm having enough trouble sleeping without this stupid thing staring at me."  
  
"Why are you having trouble sleeping?" Kagome asked, removing each of Buyo's claws from the bedspread.  
  
"It's too STUFFY in here. I don't like sleeping inside." Inuyasha bounced up onto the bed and crossed his legs. "Can't I sleep on the roof tonight?"  
  
"We're leaving the day after tomorrow -- maybe tomorrow night if Mom and Grandpa come home early," Kagome said. "Can you stand the stuffy room until then?"  
  
"Hmph."  
  
"Good night."  
  
"Night." Inuyasha turned over and rested his head on his arm.  
  
*  
  
A long cold tongue curled out and caught her ankle. Kagome stumbled, fell down a rocky hillside, scraping her leg and her cheek. Her flailing hand caught a root,  
  
"You slew me!" hissed a voice from above. Kagome didn't look up, because she knew what was there -- a monstrous centipede with a woman's torso and head. Kagome slid down the hillside as Mistress Centipede slithered down toward her.  
  
A lightning bolt crackled above her, and she saw two silhouettes on a stormcloud, before it whisked past her. Hiten and Monten, the Thunder Brothers. Then all chaos broke out. Kagome screamed and tried to hide her face as demons swarmed out of every cranny -- crooked, bug-eyed imps, a boneless toad with a high wavering voice calling "Wait!", ravening crows, frothing three-eyed wolves --  
  
She ran.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she cried, her voice drowned out by the shrieks and howls behind her. "INUYASHA!"  
  
But he wasn't there. She knew it. He wasn't there...  
  
... and Kagome woke in the dark.  
  
In the next room, Inuyasha was sitting by the open window, resting his head on the sill. It was less stuffy when the wind was blowing; it took some of the dust and perfume out of the room. His claws clicked on the picture frames as he looked over them one by one, scrutinizing the faces.  
  
There was that crazy old man, Kagome's grandfather. There was Kagome as a little girl, with her hair in a braid and a strange man beside her. Inuyasha scrutinized the man's face before deciding that it must be her father. He looked a little like her.  
  
He carefully put the pictures back, and dropped onto the wide bed.  
  
"Inuyasha..."  
  
He stiffened at hearing his name said. By Kagome?  
  
"Inuyasha..."  
  
He crept over to the wall and pricked his ears. The speaking had stopped. "Kagome?" he whispered. Had she been dreaming about him? Or did she want him to come in?  
  
The sound of muffled crying seeped under the door as Inuyasha approached Kagome's room. She was under the covers when he came in, but she was obviously weeping. "Kagome?" he said softly. "What's wrong?"  
  
Kagome looked up at him, then turned back to the wall. "It's okay," she mumbled. "I'll be all right in a minute. Just a stupid dream." She knew how Inuyasha hated it when she cried, and how he always told her to stop.  
  
For a moment she thought he had left. Then she felt a body sliding into the bed behind her, and an arm slipping around her waist. The word "sit" came to mind, if he tried any funny business. But Inuyasha stopped there, just cuddling close to her.  
  
"What did you dream about?" he asked.  
  
Kagome closed her eyes as Inuyasha's hand gently wiped her cheek. "I dreamed I was... being chased by demons," she whispered. "Not just any -- they were -- all demons I killed -- or helped kill. And I kept calling for you -- and you weren't there -- I was -- I --"  
  
Inuyasha stiffened at the idea. So that was why she had been muttering his name. He inched closer, stroking her hair. "That won't ever happen," he said softly. "Whenever you need me, I'll be here. I won't let anything happen to you, Kagome. I promise..."  
  
Somehow, the words felt even more comforting than Inuyasha's presence next to her. The shadows seemed to fall away, chased by the warm glow of his golden eyes. Kagome sighed as she turned around, snuggling against Inuyasha's chest. He seemed surprised, but definitely not displeased. As she fell asleep, she wondered... wondered... about him...  
  
When she woke up, the sun was just rising. There was no one else in the room.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	16. Homecoming Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
  
*  
  
As she went down the stairs, Kagome wondered if it had all been a dream -- Inuyasha coming into her room and curling up behind her. He hadn't been next to her when she woke up, even though they had been hugging when she fell asleep...  
  
Inuyasha was sitting in the dining room next to Sota, warily eyeing a bowl of oatmeal as if he expected it to bite back. "What are these?" he was asking Sota, pointing at the bowl.  
  
"Apple bits, or raisins. I don't remember which," Sota replied, gulping down his own breakfast.   
  
Inuyasha didn't look impressed.  
  
"Glad to see you're over your stomach bug," Kagome yawned, picking up a packet of instant oatmeal. "Judging from the way you're gobbling it up, anyway."  
  
"I was gagging a little last night -" Sota began.  
  
"Don't try that with me, you little liar," came the reply from the kitchen. "I wised up to your tricks years ago. You're going to school. Go get dressed once you're done eating -- and don't just nibble either."  
  
Inuyasha, apparently grateful to not be the victim of Kagome's chiding, just studied his placemat and stirred his oatmeal. When she sat down beside him, he asked gruffly, "No more nightmares?"  
  
Kagome promptly dropped the bowl on her foot. "Uh no," she said, ducking under the table. "I was fine after you... uh... talked to me."  
  
So, it hadn't been a dream. Kagome finished wiping the oatmeal from her toes and watched Inuyasha, who was sniffing suspiciously at his food. He wasn't a touchy-feely guy in general; Kagome could count on one hand the number of times he'd hugged her before last night. On one finger, actually. He'd grabbed her, caught her and shielded her with his body time and time again, but hugs were a rare thing.  
  
The first time it had ever happened was right after a vicious battle with Sesshoumaru. For a few horrible moments, Kagome had thought Inuyasha was dead; he crumpled to the ground in a puddle of his own blood, not moving. Later, right before pushing her down the well "for her own good," he had hugged her tightly in spite of his injuries, confessing how frightened he had been of losing her. She'd been too breathless to say how she had felt the same -- that she had still been scared for him.  
  
This time, there were no goodbyes. No lifted jewel shards. He'd just been comforting her, with no question of ulterior motives. Kagome absently touched her hair, remembering how he'd been stroking it.  
  
"All right, what is it NOW?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
Kagome blinked. "Hmm?"  
  
"You're staring at me again. It's creepy."  
  
Kagome stirred her now-cold oatmeal. "I was just thinking about last night."  
  
"Oh." Inuyasha flushed a little. "What about it?"  
  
"You don't need to act like a tough guy all the time," Kagome said. "It was sweet, that's all. And I really appreciate it... it was really, really sweet." Especially what you said, she added silently.  
  
Inuyasha held her gaze for a moment, with a bewildered mix of emotions on his face. Then he quickly looked away.   
  
"What are you talkin' about?" Sota asked, looking from one to the other.  
  
"None of your business," Kagome said, getting up to get ready for school.  
  
*  
  
Kagome's pencil broke just as she scribbled the last answer on her test. She put it down and rubbed her aching eyes. Finally it was all over, and she could go back to the feudal era with only a vague feeling of dread. Until her test scores came in, that was. But the pressure was off. When she got her grades, she could cry into Shippo's tail or something like that...  
  
"Time's up," the teacher droned. "Put down your pens."  
  
Kagome scanned her answers a last time before turning the paper over. The school bell rang, and she was halfway out the door when a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, Higurashi!" Hojo laughed. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"  
  
Kagome smiled. "Oh, I have something to do when I get home."  
  
"Well, um, this sounds a little odd, but uh..." Hojo scratched his head. "Since we just finished finals, and there's a vacation coming up, would you... uh, like to go to a movie next Monday?"  
  
"Monday?" Kagome went blank.  
  
"Yeah. I'll bring a heating pad for your spine..."  
  
Grandpa, if you said anything about a hemorrhoid cushion, I'll have Inuyasha trash your room, Kagome thought. That humiliating medical excuse was still smarting. "Uh, I'd love to, but I... I really can't."  
  
"Oh," Hojo said, clearly disappointed. "You sure?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I have... plans."  
  
Hojo shoved his hands in his pockets. "Who is he?"  
  
"He?"  
  
"That guy I saw walking around with your little brother. About my age, sort of whitish hair. I didn't get a good look, because he vanished when I came up to ask where you were."   
  
"Oh, uh..." Kagome said, hoping she didn't choke. "Uh, he's a... friend of the family. Hojo, I really need to leave. I'll see you after the vacation, okay?"  
  
Hojo half-smiled, and waved as she raced out the door.   
  
Kagome felt intense gratitude that Inuyasha hadn't simply swooped out of the trees and and cursed at Hojo. He'd done worse things to guys he thought were pestering her. She paused on a street corner, remembering the way he'd wiped away her tears, and the promise he made.  
  
It was a weird arrangement, but there wasn't any way she could arrange a another doomed date with Hojo. Kagome brushed her bangs away from her eyes, and thought about what she'd order for their last dinner in her era.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	17. Homecoming Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
  
*  
  
A kind of tense peace settled over the house as the sun set. Kagome rested her chin on her hand, watching as the dying sunlight filtered through the old tree. Tomorrow she would be watching it over five centuries in the past, surrounded by all her friends from the Feudal Era.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she called without moving. "Either take something out of the stupid fridge or just close it!"  
  
The sound of the fridge door slamming echoed through the house. Inuyasha strode in a minute later with a clumsily-peeled banana, sat on the table, and began eating.   
  
Buyo meowed reproachfully and began licking himself. Kagome rubbed her temples, where a headache was brewing. I'm turning into my mother, she thought unhappily.  
  
She sat back and gloomily surveyed the table. The plastic dishes were littered over it, most with globs of food still stuck to them. She had thought about clearing them away, but the house was already such a wreck that it seemed pointless. Sota had set the toaster on fire, Inuyasha had destroyed half the living room furniture and splattered Coke on the wall, the carpet still smelled like wet cat hair, and Inuyasha had been making long-distance phantom calls to Peru before Kagome found out and banned him from the phone again. Not to mention the strange stories the mailman was spreading.  
  
At least there wasn't any confrontation about Hojo, Kagome thought. If Inuyasha found out that Hojo had been pursuing her for months, he would freak. He always freaked. It didn't matter that her interest in Hojo wasn't that serious...  
  
"Kagome!" Sota called, running in with a tape in one hand. "Mom says I hafta show you all the movies I watch. Can I see this?"  
  
Kagome took one look at the box. "No."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Why not? Sota, that is not a movie for little kids. Inuyasha and I could watch it, but you -- no way."  
  
"Are you gonna?"  
  
"No. I see too much gratuitous violence in my everyday life. Go find a romantic comedy or something."  
  
"You're no fun."  
  
"Keep it up and we'll watch news before bed," Kagome said threateningly.  
  
*  
  
Kagome's feet were slowly going to sleep. Sota had been sitting on her ankles all throughout the movie, and when she tried to throw him off, it had turned into a three-way-tussle.  
  
Now her little brother was dozing with Buyo in his lap. And somehow, after the two leads had had a fight, Kagome had ended up sliding against Inuyasha's shoulder. Rather than moving away the way he usually did, he'd just looped his arm around her and continued watching the movie.   
  
"Why's that guy tellin' her to go off with the other man?" he said suddenly, shattering the mood.  
  
"Because he knows she'll be happier with his friend rather than him."  
  
Inuyasha frowned at the screen. "So she's in love with one guy, but he tells her to go be with somebody she doesn't love because he thinks she'll be happier that way. He really thinks that she's gonna be happier. And she actually does it just because he told her to."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"They're both idiots."  
  
Kagome sighed. "You just don't get it."  
  
"I know pathetic when I see it," Inuyasha said stubbornly.  
  
Kagome avoided the answer by carrying her sleeping brother up the stairs. Sota yawned and snuggled against her as she hauled him into his room and tucked him in. Buyo wound his furry tail around her ankles and purred.   
  
As Kagome passed Inuyasha's room, she paused. He was curled up on the bed again, with the Tetsusaiga hugged against his chest.  
  
Kagome smiled and closed the door.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	18. Homecoming Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
  
*  
  
In her dreams, hundreds of fox demons were swarming over her house, and Kagome had to figure out which one of them was Shippo. As she caught one wriggling demon after another, she heard a high, thin voice calling her name: "Kagome!"  
  
"Shippo?" she called, turning around.  
  
"KAGOME!" the voice called again. "Can you come in here? My nightlight is out..."  
  
Kagome sat up in bed, rubbing at her eyes. A sliver of the bright moon outside showed that it was still late at night. He's nine already, she thought. Can't he sleep for even one night without that stupid nightlight?  
  
She switched on the lamp over her bed. It didn't go on. After jiggling the switch a few more times, she called, "Sota, get out in the hallway. It's a blackout."  
  
With only a bit of the moon to light her way, she somehow managed to stagger out into the hallway. The hall lights were also out, confirming her fears. "Sota?" she said.   
  
Something warm bumped into her. Kagome poked at where Sota's face would be, and only found a very well-muscled chest. She worked her fingers up a neck and ran them up over the jawbone. Yep, there was nothing on the sides of the face where ears should be.  
  
"What are you doing?" Inuyasha asked dryly.  
  
"Just making sure it was actually you."  
  
"Well, if I was a thief, I'd love this reception." There was a long pause; Kagome wished she could see his face. "This isn't my fault."  
  
"I know it isn't your fault -- SOTA! Get your butt out here!" Kagome shouted. "It's a blackout, and they'll probably have it fixed in a few hours. In the meantime, I'll try to find the flashlights Mom keeps in that room."  
  
"Ka-go-me..."  
  
"Sota, if you want me, get out of that bed and come out here!"  
  
"What room?" Inuyasha said, ignoring Sota's wails.  
  
"Your room. Her room. Whatever." Kagome worked her way past Inuyasha's body and over to where she estimated her mother's door was. She was off by a few inches. Rubbing her sore nose, she stumbled over a blanket she had left by the door, and bumped her head into the doorframe.  
  
"Didja forget I can see a lot better than you can?" Inuyasha asked loudly.  
  
"Feel free to help!" Kagome called.  
  
She felt Inuyasha pick her up and set her outside the bedroom. "They should be in a shoebox under the bed," she called.  
  
For what seemed like an eternity, she listened to stifled grunting and scrabbling. Then Inuyasha said in her ear, "It isn't there."  
  
"It has to be!"  
  
"It isn't."  
  
She felt a tugging at her sleeve. "Kagome?" Sota quavered. "When are the lights coming back?"  
  
"I don't know," Kagome said, groping around in the dark for Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, will you please say something? It's creeping me out just having you walk around without any noise."  
  
"What do you want me to say?" came from near the bathroom.  
  
"I don't care. Recite poetry... and uh, can you tell me where the stairs are? Grandpa always keeps some candles in the kitchen."  
  
She heard some sort of shuffling in the dark, and "Hop on, kid." Then a pair of arms slid under her back and legs, and swept her up before she could protest. "Inuyasha, what are you doing?" she said, clinging to his shoulder.   
  
"Cool!" Sota said, awe overcoming his fear. "Are you carryin' both of us?"  
  
Kagome gave up protesting. After all, she had no idea how to navigate the house in complete darkness. She clung to Inuyasha as he went slowly and rather clumsily down the stairs. As he set her down, she suddenly shrieked and almost leaped back into his arms. "Something just ran over my foot!"  
  
"That was your cat. From the smell of him, he's been wallowing in the garbage," Inuyasha said impatiently. "Where are those candles?"  
  
With Inuyasha guiding her, Kagome managed to find the matches and candles -- and the misplaced flashlights. "Grandpa never puts anything where it should be," Kagome muttered.  
  
She handled a flashlight to each of them, stifling a yawn. Sota stared up at her with wide, frightened eyes. "Kagome, can I sleep in your room tonight?"  
  
Kagome groaned inwardly. She thought about telling Sota that his unwashed laundry was the only scary thing in his room, but her brother's frightened face drained her words away. She opened her mouth to say that he could, only to hear Inuyasha say, "You can stay in my room, kid. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep anyway, and your sister needs hers."  
  
"Wow?" Sota cried. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah, really." Inuyasha boosted Sota onto his shoulder and carried the little boy up the stairs.  
  
Kagome followed more slowly, impressed. Inuyasha hadn't struck her as being a guy who was good with kids -- his preferred method of discipline was punching in the head -- but he was doing pretty well with Sota. Who could be a little pain in the backside, especially when Mom wasn't around.  
  
Inuyasha paused at the top of the stairs and looked back at her for a moment, with a little smile on his face.   
  
Did he just do that so I could get some sleep? she wondered.  
  
She was still wondering that when she fell asleep, listening to the sound of Inuyasha pacing, and Sota squealing and bouncing on the bed.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	19. Homecoming Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN  
  
*  
  
The first thing Kagome heard the next morning was pounding on her door. The second was Inuyasha calling, "KAGOME! Are you awake?"  
  
"No," Kagome muttered, turning over in bed. She opened her eyes just long enough to see the numbers on her spare alarm clock -- 6:15. The sun was only halfway-risen.  
  
She suspected that Inuyasha had come in to cuddle again. Either that, or she'd had a deeply comforting dream, about feeling his body up behind hers. He'd had really cold feet, she remembered vaguely.  
  
More thunderous pounding. "Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted.  
  
"I'm not gonna get up! I'm still sleeping!" Kagome said, burying her face in her pillow. "Get lost. Mom and Grandpa won't even be back for hours." Her brain was too tired to calculate exactly how long it would be. "And don't you dare break that door!"  
  
"Kagome!" Sota called faintly. "I'm hungry."  
  
Kagome considered getting up, just because of the very real possibility of Inuyasha setting the stove on fire. After weighing the possibilities, she decided that he could handle a few pesky housefires, and buried her face in her pillow again.  
  
"KAGOME!" Inuyasha bellowed, pounding on the door.  
  
"I must have been really bad in a previous life," Kagome muttered, pulling the blankets over her head.   
  
*  
  
"Hey, the neighbor wants to know if you can babysit her twins," Sota said, waving the phone over his head. "Wanna, or should I make up an excuse like Grandpa?"  
  
Kagome managed to choke down some of Inuyasha's oatmeal, which had formed into a bland, cold blob in her bowl. "Tell her I've got something, okay? The last thing I want to do is take care of her devil-spawn twins. Those babies make garden gnomes look cute."  
  
"I thought you LIKED babies," Inuyasha said, sniffing his bowl.  
  
"I like most of them. But those two are like something out of 'The Omen.' They think bathing is a contact sport." Kagome gave up on the oatmeal. "Inuyasha, do you understand what measuring cups are for?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"I thought not. We'll have to go over that before you try instant oatmeal again." Kagome grimaced.   
  
She devoted most of the morning to cramming clothes and bathroom supplies into her pack. Her pace was slowed a little by Inuyasha's helpfulness. He kept grabbing random items from her closet and tossing them into the backpack, apparently trying to speed up her progress. Kagome didn't feel like telling him that with his help, it only took twice the usual amount of time.  
  
"When are we leaving?" Inuyasha asked, pacing through the house.  
  
"When my mom gets back," Kagome said from the depths of a teen girl's magazine. "I'm not supposed to leave Sota alone. Besides, I wouldn't trust him not to do something weird."  
  
Inuyasha jumped onto the couch and peered over the magazine. "What's that thing about?"  
  
"Girl stuff. You wouldn't be interested."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"'Eye makeup -- how to mesmerize him with bedroom eyes,'" Kagome read. "'20 great exercises to shrink your butt.' 'Flaw-minimizing bathing suits -- how to look sexy on the sand.'"  
  
Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "Why d'ya read that stuff?"  
  
"Because Grandpa was at a loss for what to get me for Christmas, so he got me a subscription," Kagome said, turning a page. "Besides, I can always use a few tips on eye makeup."  
  
"Oh." Inuyasha sank down on the couch next to her. "Why's that woman not wearing her clothes?"  
  
"Don't look at her. It's a body wash ad." Kagome folded the magazine up and slid it into the couch cushions.   
  
Inuyasha folded his arms and stared twitchily out the window. "Kagome," he said finally, in an unusually quiet voice. "I... uh, before anyone else comes, I need to tell you something."  
  
"Like what."  
  
Inuyasha swallowed, looking nervous. "I... uh... this is kinda hard for me to say..."  
  
"What?"   
  
"I broke your new alarm clock."  
  
*  
  
Kagome leaned her bike against the mini-shrine. It was a little the worse for wear after Inuyasha had tossed it, but it would still work. Nearby, Inuyasha was sprawled under a tree, tapping his fingers impatiently. Mom and Grandpa should be back any minute, Kagome thought. Maybe Inuyasha will learn some patience in the meantime.  
  
"Hey, Kagome!"  
  
It was the sort of situation that was usually reserved for Kagome's nightmares. She barely had time to register Hojo's voice before she was dragging Inuyasha to his feet. "Quick, up the tree before he sees you!"  
  
Inuyasha did so. As Kagome turned around, she saw Hojo running up the stairs, somewhat out of breath.  
  
"Kagome!" Hojo said, smiling. He held out a heavy study guide. "You forgot your book at school."  
  
"Oh," Kagome took the book. She could see Inuyasha over Hojo's head, crouching like an attractive gargoyle. His ears were pricked -- a sure sign he was interested. "Oh, uh, thanks. It slipped my mind."  
  
Hojo eyed her bulging pack. "Going somewhere?"  
  
"Uh yes. A clinic," Kagome said lamely.   
  
"What kind of clinic? You don't have TB, do you? Your grandfather said something about your lungs a few weeks ago. I could bring a-"  
  
"Yes," Kagome said quickly. "I have TB. I was hoping to keep it a secret."  
  
Hojo looked horrified. "Wow, I thought -- I mean, I heard that people with TB coughed up blood or whatever."  
  
"I've been very discreet," Kagome lied. She coughed demurely.  
  
"Are you feeling sick?" Hojo said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I can call a taxi."  
  
"No no, someone's coming to pick me up." Kagome prayed that the hand didn't spur Inuyasha to come leaping out of the tree. She could explain her absences, but the dog-boy was a little harder to excuse. "Uh, Hojo, I think you better get away from me -- I'm pretty contagious." She coughed again.  
  
"Well, if you're sure," Hojo said. He waved as he ran down the steps to the street.  
  
Kagome sighed with relief, turned around -- and found herself face-to-upside-down-face with Inuyasha. The half-demon was looking as suspicious as a guy hanging by his knees can look. "Who's the drip?" he asked.  
  
"Hojo? Oh, he goes to school with me. He has a little crush on me." A crush that means he's been asking me out all year, Kagome thought.  
  
Inuyasha looked after Hojo for a moment, then flipped down next to her. "Drip," he repeated. "I'm goin' inside to say bye to your brother, okay? Just call when your mom gets here."  
  
"Will do," Kagome said, shouldering her pack.  
  
The girl idly flicked willow leaves into the rain gutter, watching the ripples. As the sound of an car stopping reached her, she quickly stood up. "Mom?"  
  
"Yes, it's us, honey!" Her mother rushed up the steps, smiling broadly. "Well, your great-aunt is doing much better now, and there's a professional nurse taking care of her. I hope Sota wasn't too much of a handful."  
  
Him, no -- the friend with the cute ears, yes, Kagome thought. She sighed heavily. "Well, as you can see, I'm all packed to get back to the Feudal Era. It's been kind of a weird week."  
  
"How were exams, sweetie?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, as her puffing father-in-law came up the steps.  
  
Before Kagome could answer, a white and red blur shot out of the back door and swept her off her feet. She barely had time to call, "I'll tell you all about it when I get back!" before Inuyasha leaped down the well, with Kagome still slung over his shoulder.  
  
The old priest grumbled, "I still don't entirely trust that young demon with Kagome."  
  
Mrs. Higurashi hesitated as Inuyasha leaped back out of the well, looking around the courtyard. Then he raced back inside, with Kagome's bike over his shoulders, and vanished into the well for the second time.  
  
"Oh, I don't know," Mrs. Higurashi said, smiling. "I think Kagome knows her way around him."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


	20. Homecoming Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN  
  
*  
  
Kagome's front wheel was squeaking ominously as she pedalled through the woods. It was times like this that she was glad Inuyasha was so light. If he didn't balance so perfectly, she probably couldn't keep going for more than a few feeeeet.  
  
Inuyasha was dangling his legs off Kagome's bike, resting his back against hers. He seemed a bit more sedate since they returned to the feudal era, watching birds as they rode along.  
  
Finally the week is over, Kagome thought. Things can go back to what passes for normal -- I just hope Mom doesn't freak out when she sees what happened to the house.  
  
"I liked that," Inuyasha said suddenly.  
  
Kagome slowed her bike. "What?"  
  
"I liked being at your house." Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at her. "I made a lot of trouble, but I liked being there with you."  
  
Kagome thought carefully about what to say before speaking. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah." He leaned his head back on her shoulder. "I don't have a home. Never did. Not really, ever since I was little. Not anyplace that I was welcome or that was for me. I remember for a long time, that was just about all I wanted."  
  
Kagome swerved instinctively around a bend in the road. The few hints Inuyasha had given about his childhood were whirling in her mind like autumn leaves. What would my life have been like, she wondered, if I hadn't had a home or a family?  
  
As if in a dream, she heard herself saying the last words she had wanted to say: "You can come back sometimes if you like."  
  
Inuyasha stiffened at that, then relaxed. They rode on in silence through the trees.  
  
*  
  
"They're back!" Shippo squealed, leaping at Kagome's face. The bike wobbled and almost fell; Inuyasha leaped off, shouting, "Hey, what's the idea?!"  
  
Three humans came from inside the small hut. Kaede smiled slightly as she saw Inuyasha and Kagome coming toward her, with Shippo swarming over Kagome's head. "Ah, ye have returned," she said. "Have ye been having a good time?"  
  
Kagome started to answer. "Uh, Sango," she said finally. "Can I talk to you? Shippo, there's a lollipop for you in my backpack."  
  
The demon-slayer followed her silently to a nearby tree. "What's wrong?" Sango asked, petting Kirara.  
  
"I'm not sure if I had a good time or not," Kagome said, tugging absently at her hair. "Inuyasha was... half the time I wanted to hug him, and the rest of the time i wanted to wring his neck. He broke half the stuff in my house, then came into my room to comfort me after I had a nightmare.   
  
"That sounds nice..."  
  
"It was," Kagome said. "I'm not sure what to think about it!" She took a deep breath. "So how was Miroku?"  
  
"Worse than usual." Sango stared in Miroku's direction. "I think boredom doesn't agree with him."  
  
"Hands, all the time?"  
  
"Yes. But I found out that he doesn't touch me when Kaede's around." Sango smiled. "So I spent a lot of time just staying nearby her."  
  
"Does Kaede know this?"  
  
"Oh yes. She says she recognizes the type from when she was young."  
  
"It's been a long, long time!" Inuyasha bellowed from across the field.  
  
Miroku's dark eyes watched as the girls wandered away, talking with their heads close together. Sango looked as if she were giggling, and Kagome was covering her face.  
  
The monk seated himself beside Inuyasha, who was going through Kagome's backpack. He glanced briefly at Shippo, who was perched on Inuyasha's shoulder. "So," Miroku said with feigned casualness. "You just got back from a week with Kagome."  
  
Inuyasha looked up briefly. "Brilliant, Miroku."  
  
Miroku smiled a little. "So, man to man," he said. "How was it?"  
  
"It was pretty awful," Inuyasha said, tossing aside the study guide.  
  
Miroku glanced at Kagome. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah. She wouldn't let me do anything outside the house. It smelled weird, I bashed around too much, and she said I was doing all the wrong things. That, and I passed out once."  
  
Miroku's imagination was running wild, wondering what could have caused these things. "You passed out?"  
  
"Yeah. Her brother got sick, and I flooded the house. I kind of liked being there, anyway..." he added gruffly.  
  
Miroku blinked, his alarming thoughts vanishing. "Oh. I see. But Inuyasha, how was it?"  
  
Inuyasha looked up, frowning. "How was what?"  
  
"You know... IT."  
  
"What is 'it'?"  
  
"You know..."  
  
"No, I don't know!"  
  
Miroku sighed heavily, watching Shippo. The little fox-demon was watching with great interest, evidently sharing Inuyasha's confusion over the mysterious "it."  
  
*  
  
"I just don't know what I'm going to do with him," Sango said, shifting her boomerang on her shoulders. They were on the road again, searching for more shards of the Shikon jewel. The girls were taking the lead, while Inuyasha, Miroku and Shippo were a short distance behind.  
  
"Give him time," Kagome said. "Sometimes guys change."  
  
"And sometimes they don't." Sango thought for a moment. "Has Inuyasha changed at all, since you met him?"  
  
"In what way?"  
  
"Any way at all. I haven't known him for very long, but you once said he was the first person you encountered when you came through the well."  
  
"No, dammit! I don't know what IT is!" Inuyasha shouted. "Stop asking me about IT unless you're gonna tell me what IT is!"  
  
Kagome smiled a little, and looked over her shoulder at the frustrated half-demon. "Yeah, he's changed. In some ways, that is."  
  
THE END 


End file.
